After a day of deadlifts, rowing, tire flips kettle bell swings and an array of other athletic disciplines, Baumholder's functional fitness team outperformed the Kaiserslautern team and captured the trophy in the first ever functional fitness competition in Baumholder Oct. 24.
The teams, consisting of civilians and Soldiers, included three men and three women from each community doing various lifts in the morning and a team workout at noon.
Competition started with a woman and a man from each team performing the deadlift, a different pair performed the back squat and the final pair did the bench press.
Competition for the deadlift was intense, with the Kaiserslautern women edging out the Baumholder team 295 to 265 pound. Competition between the men was even closer as they tied at 460 pounds.
In the back squat, the Kaiserslautern men gave it their best but lost out 475 pounds to 385. The Baumholder women also out powered Kaiserslautern 230 to 165 pounds. The final lift saw Baumholder passing Kaiserslautern with the men winning 315 pounds to 225.
"It was great to see the athletes do the lifts but even better to see them get behind each other. It made me want to join in," said Ja'non Hilton, Mountaineer staff.
The noon session began with mixed team pairs completing 1,500 meters of rowing, 50 knees to elbows, a 50-meter tire flip, 50 box jumps, 50 kettle bell swings, and 100 meters of overhead walking lunges.
The crowd got loud as the competitors gave it their all. One of the spectators, Kim Kennedy, said "I was really impressed by what they could do, they worked really hard and were fun to watch."
Tabitha Lomo from the Baumholder team said, "When you come to that moment when you feel like quitting, remember why you started and why you're doing this in the first place. You've decided what you want to commit to it and you will succeed."
When it was all over, Kaiserslautern coach Marcus Mitchell said, "I think the competition went great. It was a good start. We had a great amount of people and I think there was a great display of heart, effort, and teamwork throughout the Rheinland-Pfalz community."
Looking ahead, Mitchell said, "Yes, we have to expand. We have a lot of athletes that love to do this stuff." In order to do that he said, "We need the support. Whether it is the units sending Soldiers, civilians, or family members to get certified, participation during the formal classes, or just teaming together to create a facility and purchase equipment."
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